"No lives were lost during the events of the previous evening or in the aftermath... I met personally with the Crown Prince of Great Britain and the leaders of the country's law enforcement, who confirmed that to me only hours ago..."
Maverick concluded his account with those words and slowly took his seat once more. The first objective of the script had been accomplished: present a single, unified account of the previous night's events, with Dumbledore, Edward, and Maxime each corroborating it. With three Archmages confirming the same sequence of events, there was little room left for anyone to question it further.
And the casualty report was simply the icing on the cake, closing off almost every remaining avenue for assigning blame and allowing the assembly to move on much more quickly.
The hall, meanwhile, erupted into a buzz of conversation, accompanied by the constant flashes of cameras.
To think so much had unfolded behind the scenes. A long-forgotten evil wizard returning from the dead, the first-generation Dark Lord escaping the prison that had held him for decades, only to meet his end... and on top of all that, an Archmage had been murdered... all in the span of a single evening.
The members of the press were practically on the edge of their seats, barely restraining themselves from shouting their questions, had this been anywhere else, many of them probably would have.
In any case, there would be time for questions later. Until then... they were eager to see where all of this would lead.
"Thank you, Speaker Caesar..." Master Weiguo slowly rose to his feet, his face remaining unreadable. For several long seconds, he said nothing, his eyes moving slowly across the assembled hall as he weighed how best to proceed.
Finally, he turned to the side, his gaze settling on the only woman seated at their table.
"Lady Maxime."
His voice echoed evenly throughout every corner of the chamber.
"Is everything spoken by our young colleague true, to the best of your knowledge?"
Maverick's eyebrow rose a fraction. It seems the old man still had his reservations, even with Dumbledore, Maxime, and Edward all corroborating the same account.
Well, understandable. There were simply too many coincidences, and Master Weiguo was a centuries-old relic who would not be so easily deceived by a mere verbal account.
"Everything Speaker Caesar has recounted is true to the best of my knowledge," said Olympe Maxime, meeting Master Weiguo's scrutinizing gaze without flinching. "And, if I recall correctly, this evening's gathering is not a court session..." Her expression sharpened after saying, as if daring him to press the matter further.
Master Weiguo also held her gaze for several long seconds, then slowly turning away. Despite his doubts, there was little he could do unless he was really prepared to accuse four Archmages of lying.
"Naturally, the testimony of four Archmages carries considerable weight," he said evenly, eyes then moving to the other side of the table, passing over Dumbledore, over Edward, and finally coming to rest on Maverick.
"My inquiry was... merely a formality," he continued, lingering on Maverick for several long seconds then finally looking back across the hall.
"Speaker Caesar has provided this assembly with a much-needed account of the previous evening's events and has answered many of the questions that weighed on our minds."
Opening his arms ever so slightly, he addressed the hall in a measured tone.
"Had I faced the same circumstances, would I have acted any differently..."
He paused. "I confess, I cannot say my decisions would have been any different. On that note, I would also like to recognize the efforts of our four colleagues for resolving the crisis without the loss of a single innocent life. It is a testament that, despite the immense power we wield, we have not forgotten our responsibility to those who are... more vulnerable than ourselves."
Maverick listening quietly, mused inwardly. It seems, at least, there would be no further pressing of the story's authenticity. In fact, he was fully prepared to argue the story point by point, but he was also correct about the other matter. Master Weiguo had no intention of openly offending four mages of equal standing as him.
"But our primary purpose this evening is not to debate the actions of our colleagues or the decisions that led to the events of the previous night. It is to decide where we go from here."
Master Weiguo's voice grew noticeably sterner.
"And on that note... I would like to formally call this assembly to order."
He raised his hand, and a small gavel appeared in it before he took his seat once more. With it, he struck the sounding block on the table three times, each sharp knock echoing distinctly throughout the chamber.
"By the authority vested in me under the Charter and Standing Orders of the International Confederation of Wizards, I, Zhang Weiguo, Archmage, Speaker, and Chair of this Assembly, do hereby declare this Extraordinary Assembly convened."
His calm voice carried effortlessly throughout the vast chamber. It appears Maverick's accounting earlier was merely a preliminary matter, and only now had the Extraordinary Assembly officially begun.
"Honoured delegates, esteemed Ministers of Magic, Presidents of your respective magical communities, representatives of the great magical institutions, members of the wizarding press, and distinguished guests... welcome..."
"On this evening, we gather not as representatives of individual nations or competing interests, but as custodians of the international magical community."
"Our purpose is neither to revisit what has already been established nor to allow emotion to cloud our judgment. We are assembled to examine the facts before us, deliberate with wisdom, and determine the course this Confederation shall take in the days ahead."
"I ask every representative present to conduct themselves with the dignity this chamber demands. Every delegation shall have the opportunity to be heard. Every proposal shall receive due consideration. Every vote shall be counted in accordance with our Charter."
"Let this Assembly proceed with reason over passion, unity over division, and responsibility over fear."
Master Weiguo's eyes traveled across the hundreds gathered before him before finally settling on the long table. Ordinarily, the Assembly's agenda would already be prepared in writing and placed before the Chair prior to the proceedings.
Tonight, however, that parchment was absent altogether. The Assembly had been called under the utmost urgency, and many of the customary formalities had been dispensed with.
He raised his head once more.
"With that, I declare this Extraordinary Assembly of the International Confederation of Wizards officially in session."
The gavel struck the sounding block once.
"The events of the previous evening have reminded us of a truth many believed had long ceased to exist... peace, it is not permanent..."
"...the Statute of Secrecy, which has safeguarded our civilization for centuries, has been breached. Our existence is no longer known only to ourselves..."
"...the non-magical world now knows that magic is real. What they once dismissed as fairy tales has become undeniable reality."
His voice remained steady, devoid of either panic or outrage despite the gravity of the facts he was laying bare.
"This is perhaps the gravest challenge our Confederation has faced since the global conflict that engulfed both the magical and non-magical worlds more than half a century ago."
He allowed the weight of those words to settle over the chamber.
"Perhaps even longer."
Another brief silence followed. "So I put before this Assembly the sole question that matters..."
"...what shall be our response?"
His eyes moved deliberately from delegation to delegation.
"Representatives who wish to address the chair may raise their hand and, upon recognition, present their proposal..."
"...our objective this evening is clear."
"What course shall the International Confederation of Wizards pursue in response to the exposure of our world... and by what means, if any, shall we seek to restore the Statute of Secrecy?"
Having said as much, he fell silent.
The chamber broke into a low murmur. Councillors leaned toward one another, exchanging quiet words, while the gallery above watched expectantly, waiting for the first representative to request the floor.
Several long seconds passed before the first hand finally rose. The quiet buzz filling the hall gradually subsided as well, one by one, every gaze settling on the individual.
"Proceed, Councillor Yu Xiaogang."
A middle-aged man of unmistakably East Asian heritage rose to his feet, acknowledging the Chair with a slight nod.
"Mr. Speaker, I understand the gravity of what we're facing. I don't wish to diminish it. But I confess I'm struggling to understand why we're sitting here deliberating while the situation outside this chamber keeps moving without us."
He looked around the hall, "we should already be coordinating with every magical government on the planet. We should be deploying our forces. At the very least, we should be doing something."
He clasped his hands behind his back.
"I don't believe this is beyond recovery. Yes, restoring the Statute will take time, and no small effort, but we've faced crises of this scale before, haven't we?"
His gaze swept across the assembly.
"Have we all forgotten the last great war? Did we not restore the status quo eventually?"
He paused. "My point is simple. Public attention fades... memories blur. We would not even need to Obliviate everyone. A carefully targeted operation covering a sufficient portion of the population in each country would, in all likelihood, be enough for the rest to follow naturally."
"Preposterous."
The interruption was sharp and came from across the chamber. The councillor who had spoken immediately raised his hand in acknowledgement of the breach of protocol.
Master Weiguo's frown lasted only a moment before he gave a slight nod.
"Proceed."
The man who stood also appeared to be of East Asian descent, though his accent placed him clearly in Japan.
"With respect to Councillor Yu, I think we need to be honest about the scale of what he is proposing." His voice was calm but carried a particular firmness beneath it. "We are not talking about a village, nor a town, or even a city. We are talking about the entire non-magical world. Billions of people, across every continent..."
He let that number sit for a moment before continuing.
"The total magical population of this planet could not come close to staffing an operation of that magnitude. It is not a question of effort or political will, it is simply not possible. And even if it were," his tone changed slightly, "I would argue it should not be. What Councillor Yu is describing is the largest violation of human autonomy in the history of either of our worlds. I cannot support it, and I would strongly urge this assembly not to either."
He turned briefly toward Yu Xiaogang before addressing the chamber again.
"My own position is more measured. We acknowledge nothing officially. We issue no confirmation and no denial. We allow things to settle and we observe. On one point, and only one, I find myself in agreement with Councillor Yu. People move on. Let us not make an irreversible decision while the dust is still in the air."
With that, he resumed his seat. In the meantime, a considerable number of hands had gone up throughout the chamber.
Master Weiguo pointed toward another.
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker." The man who stood was familiar to Maverick, one of the two Great Magi who served the British Crown. "I speak tonight on behalf of the British Ministry of Magic, and to a degree, on behalf of the non-magical government with whom we have maintained a close working relationship for many years."
He paused, choosing his next words with care.
"I must oppose Councillor Yu's proposal, and I must do so in the strongest terms available to me. I say this not as a matter of principle alone, but as a matter of practical reality. I work directly alongside non-magical authorities. I understand how they think and what they value. And I can tell you with complete confidence that there is not a single government on this planet that would permit an Obliviation operation of that scale to be carried out on its own population. Not one. The moment that became known, and it would become known, we would not be managing a difficult situation. We would be starting a war."
He had barely returned to his seat before Yu Xiaogang's voice cut back across the chamber.
"Mr. Speaker." He gave a perfunctory nod toward the Chair before turning to the man who had spoken before him. "With respect, I fail to understand why the preferences of non-magical governments should carry any weight in a decision that concerns the preservation of our world and our way of life."
His voice took on a harder edge. "Is the loss of a day's memories from a portion of the population truly a greater price than the collapse of everything our ancestors built over centuries? I would gently suggest that those who spend too much of their time working alongside non-magical institutions may have, over time, lost some clarity about where their primary loyalty ought to lie. That begins to resemble, if I may say so, something close to treas—"
"That is enough, Councillor."
Master Weiguo's voice crossed the chamber with the kind of quiet authority that did not need to raise itself to be felt.
"Your time has expired."
He pointed, without further comment, toward the next raised hand.
One after another, councillors rose to present their arguments before the chamber. Many spoke in favour of seeking a path toward coexistence, though Maverick suspected most did so simply because they belonged to the factions of his teacher, Dumbledore, or of Maxime, and had been told which way to lean. Left to themselves, he was fairly certain, most would have argued the opposite.
At the same time, there was no shortage of voices calling for ways to preserve, or somehow restore, the Statute of Secrecy. One of them, a man named Yu Xiaogang, whose name struck Maverick as oddly familiar, though from where he couldn't say, and certainly not from anything good, went so far as to propose Obliviating half the planet.
The audacity of it. Never mind whether such a thing was even possible. Doing it would be no different from declaring war on the entire non-magical world. How anyone could fail to see something so obvious was beyond him. Or perhaps, he thought, they really were that stupid.
These old fogies, just as he'd expected, had grown so used to the old way of doing things that they couldn't imagine any other. They knew, surely they knew, that the situation was all but impossible to reverse. And still they clung to the past like it might save them.
The arguments dragged on for over an hour. Maverick hadn't said a word the entire time. He'd wanted to hear what these idiots actually thought, and by now, he'd heard more than enough.
He couldn't take it anymore. Without a second thought, he rose from his chair, not even bothering to raise his hand.
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